Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2017, the national selection for Malta at Eurovision 2017 will take place on 18 February. But before then, the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating all 16 competing entries. Today we move onto Richard Edwards with his song “You”. Is Richard destined for a Eurovision comeback in 2017? Read on to find out…

Richard Edwards – “You”

“You” reviews

William: This voice is everything. Deep, gritty, sexy, soulful — it carries so many qualities, yet somehow remains pure. The song showcases Richard’s vocals extremely well and you can tell he is feeling every single note. The inviting opening could lead to a boring middle. But at 90 seconds he takes us to another emotional plane and I want to get up and say, “Preach!” With the right staging this could leave the audience sobbing.

Score: 8.5/10

Robyn: I’m always wary of artists who want to return to ESC, but in this case it feels less like Richard Edward misses the bright lights and more that he just has a good song he wants to share. “You” is delightful, and its sweet and subdued style makes it stand out amongst all the shouty diva numbers. “You” isn’t perfect, but it’s one of the few songs in MESC that I really enjoy listening to.

Score: 7.5/10

Chris: Have we not got past the stereotypical “one man and a guitar” phase by now? When the likes of Ed Sheeran are changing that game, Richard drags us back to an older time. I’m left thinking of 90s love films, which isn’t really a subject anyone should want to revisit.

Score: 5.5/10

Deban: Easy-listening song brimming with hope and nostalgia. The melody in “you” is a simple one, but nonetheless latches firmly onto one’s emotions. Richard Edwards tone coveys all the feelings you’d expect from an accomplished singer-songwriter.

Score: 7/10

Josh: Sweet and familiar. Richard has so many endearing qualities in his voice, and unlike every other folk entry in MESC this year, this is Maltese folk done right, huntie! An incredibly solid entry from a man who has had experience in Eurovision already. Very nice work!

Score: 7/10

Bernardo: “You” is such a nostalgic and well constructed ballad. Simple chords with Richard Edwards’ enchanting voice. We know he can deliver it life, so I’m already excited for this. This is the type of song able to create a mood and touch people’s hearts. I’m conquered and I would vote for it.

Score: 7.5/10

Jordi: This song provides a fresh and dreamy feeling, but I’m not really excited about it. When it comes to Eurovision, the competition is huge and I don’t think that Richard’s song “You” is competitive enough. Sometimes, by going simple, you do huge. But, this is not standing out to me. Even by loving his tone, I kind of lose the connection with the song. But I appreciate his willingness to bring something varied in the contest.

Score: 5.5/10

Our jury for the 2017 Malta Eurovision Song Contest contains 14 jurors, but we only have room for seven reviews. The remaining seven scores are listed below.

Antranig:0.5/10

Dayana: 6/10

Forrest:4.5/10

George: 5/10

Luis: 5/10

Ramadan: 5/10

Zakaria: 7/10

Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 0.5 and a high of 8.5.

Wiwi Jury Verdict: 6.04/10

Josh Salmon

Josh is from Australia and has been a huge Eurovision fan since 2010. You can follow him on Twitter @josh_salmon. Keep up with the latest Eurovision news and gossip by liking our Facebook page and by following the team on Twitter @wiwibloggs.

This really stands out in Malta due to the sameness of the majority of their songs. If the Maltese have had enough of the female-pop, not-as-good-as-Brooke-Borg-but-still-put-up-for-selection-anyway blandness, this could be a tempting alternative.

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